Fire House 51
by twolostsouls25
Summary: AU- follow the dedicated firefighters and paramedics of Jump City Fire Department as they lay their loves on the line keeping citizens of Jump City Safe, while at the same time fight their own personal demons. Part three is up)-mostly BBxRae, but other couples too. Character heavy.
1. Candidates Beating Hearts & Lost Friends

**A/N: Hello everyone, I have sort of a new project going on, on top of everything else I'm doing. I'm just bursting with ideas lately! If anyone watches law and order, you may know about that relatively new show Chicago Fire, because the shows are written by the same guy. This is going to be called 'the Firehouse 51 series.' It'll be a series of two/three part 'episodes'. I just thought the dynamic of that show would translate pretty well to the Teen Titans so here we are! (Hence the name Firehouse 51). I chose the one and only Batman as battalion chief, because he's got this interesting relationship with Robin, and I couldn't think of anyone else really. Also he bears a slight resemblance to the actual battalion chief in the show. This will go in sort of an 'episode' fashion. It's more of a compilation of two or three-shots than an actual story as I've mentioned before. This will allow me to work more on the characters than creating a plot and always tying loose ends and all that jazz. I think if you are into most of the characters in the show you will be pleased because since the story is so broad a lot of chapters will focus on many of the characters!**

**Some scenes and lines from the actual show will be added as I see fit and also overall story arcs will also be coming from the show's influence.**

**I don't own Teen Titans or Chicago Fire. **

**Gonna open this series with a nice whopping three-shot. ^-^**

Candidates, beating hearts and lost friends (Part 1)

"Truck 81 responding."

The blaring sound of sirens filled their ears as truck 81 sped down the freeway. It was the first call of the day, and Lt. Victor Stone was putting on his helmet as he sat in the passenger seat of the truck. He turned back to see his men all sitting, quite relaxed going about their daily banter. Then there was Gar Logan, Vic's best friend going about his daily antics. His gas mask hung in a ridiculous fashion off the side of his head.

"How do I look?" he called with his goofy smile, earning a small chortle from Kori who sat beside him gearing up as well. Vic rolled his eyes and smirked.

"As usual… like a class clown" He picked up his transmitter, "Hey Dick, how long 'till you take Logan off my hands?"

"Gar makes squad the day after I'm no longer in charge!" Answered Dick Greyson, from the rescue squad truck behind them. They pulled up to their destination. A suburban home, crackling and smoking with fire. Everyone piled out of their trucks as a man ran from the house.

"Over here!" He called desperately, waving his arms. "My wife and kid… they're trapped inside!"

"We'll get them out" Said Dick through his mask. Victor led his men toward the house, turning to give them orders.

"Kori, Garth; vent the roof. Logan, you're with me."

Seconds later, ambulance 61 arrived on scene. Two raven haired women stepped out of the vehicle, opening the back and retrieving their bags. The battalion chief briefed them as they watched their friends enter the house.

Meanwhile Dick led his men up the stairs, searching for signs of life. "Fire department, call out!" he called over the roaring flames. The smoke had darkened the house, even in mid daylight, and the flames cast angry orange light on the walls and ceiling. He finally heard a child crying in a room to his left. He beckoned one of his men over to the door. "Move away from the door, we're coming in!" He warned the child. He signaled to his companion with his thickly gloved fingers. One… two… three…the blunt end of a large axe broke down the door and the two men walked through it. A woman lay unconscious on the ground and her child was next to her. Seconds later Gar and Vic were on scene. Vic helped the squad member carry the woman and Dick grabbed the child.

"Let's get out of here" Called Logan, and they headed out from where they came. At this time, Kori and Garth were already manning the hoses to put out the fire. As the men walked out with the two victims Rachel and Donna were already there.

"Get her on the gurney" Came Rachel's steady voice. Gar and Vic laid her carefully down as Rachel applied an oxygen mask to the woman's face. "Donna, the kid." With a short nod, Donna went to go calm the child and check her vitals, monitoring her and her father for shock. She and Garth both held him back as he tried to advance toward his wife.

"What's wrong with her? I have to go see her, let me go!"

"Let her do her job" Donna said, referring to Rachel who with Logan's help, was lifting the woman into the ambulance. Once she was done checking the two, she got Rachel's wave, a gesture for her to get into the driver's seat.

"Come with me" She said to the man, giving the ok to ride in the back of the rig "but Katie—" he breathed looking at his child.

"We'll take the kid" Said Garfield with a smile as he bent down. "How would you like to ride with me in the squad car? We'll go to the hospital and we can see your mom…"

Logan took the girl to the department car as Chief Wayne headed over to the trucks, giving him the okay to take the girl to the hospital.

Rachel sat in the back of the Rig as the man climbed on and Donna headed to the driver's seat. They sped off to the hospital,

"Ambulance 61 to Jump City trauma center, arriving in 3 minutes." Donna spoke into the transmitter.

(***)

"Kids are so cute" Logan sighed, approaching Rachel and Donna as they filled out some paperwork at the hospital. Rachel just humored him with a look as Donna chuckled.

"She enjoy the ride?"

"Sure did!" Gar smiled "I'm just too good with the kids. How's the mom?"

"She'll be fine" Rachel said, handing the clipboard to a nurse. "Just inhaled a bit too much smoke."

"Must have been a helluva ride." He joked.

"Yeah, it was for that one…" She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the panicked father who sat in the waiting room.

"Logan, where the hell are you?" Came Vic's voice from his receiver. A guilty smile crossed his face.

"Alright ladies, I'm out!" He turned to leave, but spun around as he remembered something. "You guys coming to Molly's tomorrow night after shift?" He said walking backwards. "Come on, its Monday night football!" A small lightly amused smile appeared on Rachel's face, as Donna chuckled nodding her head.

"We'll be there!" she said. As Garfield left the hospital, Donna elbowed Rachel lightly.

"I've never seen that kinda smile before" She playfully narrowed her eyes. Rachel rolled hers.

"I wasn't smiling."

"Sure you weren't" Said Donna, smiling mischievously as she walked away. Rachel just let out an exasperated sigh.

(***)

Wally West stood outside the station looking at it with hopeful eyes. He let out a nice long breath as he started to walk inside. He'd heard stories about firehouse 51, and he knew he'd been assigned to the most action packed house in the city, not to mention this was the house with Jump City's rescue squad. Wally's older brother had been on squad, and there was no way he'd pass the opportunity to follow in the guy's footsteps. As he approached, he saw a tall and quite lean man with slick longish black hair leaning against truck 81—the truck he was assigned to. He was cleaning off his boots with a brush. The man looked up.

"Hey" he said. The man nodded. "I'm Wally West, I'm the new Candidate on 81."

"Oh, fantastic! Garth Brooks." He introduced himself, setting down his boot and the brush. "We've been waiting for you all day."

"Oh, great! I—"

"So Wally West, is it?"

"Yeah, just Wally actually. I…" he started to follow him.

"Okay, Wally West. This Way" The lean black haired man lead him through the garage. "So uh, gym's through there" He pointed, and spun around "There's a TV in the kitchen but satellite's busted." He turned again "equipment room, rescue squad A-holes… think they own that table…" He joked, pointing to a table near the door where a bunch of burly looking men sat. Dick Greyson who was leaning back in his chair reading the paper, looked up and smirked good naturedly at Garth. "Kitchen… tower." Garth continued and pointed in two more directions. Wally stared in awe at the men who just went about their daily business working in the garage. He stared at Dick, the longing apparent in his eyes.

"Wally West" Garth snapped him out of his daze "Keep movin'"

As they ventured into the kitchen Garth turned around. "That was Dick Grayson, He's in charge of the Rescue squad. Great guy, but sometimes he can really live up to his name if ya know what I mean." he chuckled. They entered the kitchen to where most of truck 81 was hanging out.

"Hey guys, meet our new candidate!" Garth said. "Wally West!"

"Haha, Alriiiiight!" said Herald, coming out of the bathroom with a mop. Wally reached out to shake his hand but received the handle of the mop instead. "All yours." He smiled, patting Wally on the back. Wally figured he'd just relieved the old candidate of his mopping duties. He received several nods in greeting, some smiles and a few 'hellos' here and there.

A large African American man approached him, followed closely by a shorter leaner blonde man with forest green eyes and a friendly smile. Wally actually received a hand to shake this time.

"Welcome to truck 81" he said "I'm Lieutenant Victor Stone, and this here's Garfield Logan"

"Gar" Said the blond, reaching out his own hand.

"Nice to meet you guys" Said Wally.

"Yeah, you too kid." Said Vic. "Gar here will give you the rest of the tour. Along with your expected duties. You'll also meet the chief when he comes back from his meeting."

"Alright, cool!" Wally looked like a kid at a candy shop. Logan just chuckled.

"This way, kid."

"Right." Logan led him through the house.

Vic turned away to see that Dick had entered the room with a smile on his face. "So that's the new candidate?"

Garth chimed in "He was looking at you guys like a kid at a candy shop" He chuckled

"Bet I get an application from him by the end of the month" Said Dick with a mischievous smile.

"Hey, he's all yours. I got too many guys anyways. And I still have to bust my ass to get them to listen to me" He eyed Garth who just shrugged, heading over to the counter to grab some eggs.

(***)

"So I'm sure you've already seen Dick and his rescue squad cronies" Gar smiled, "They're not as bad as you think. Grayson's really a softie" He chuckled. "You've met Garth, he's on truck, and Vic. Vic's in charge of truck and Dick's in charge of squad. You know what squad is, right?"

"Yeah, rescue squad. They do all the water rescues and extractions and all that"

"Very good Wally West, very good." Said Logan. "Then there's Kori. She's on truck… pretty easygoing but don't let her hear you say anything degrading about her _womanhood,"_ he chuckled. "She worked hard for her reputation and she could actually destroy you" Gar chuckled, eyeing Wally up. Wally didn't remember seeing her. "Then we got our paramedics Rachel and Donna—"

"Ah, the two drinking coffee at the counter?" Wally smiled remembering his brief ogling session of the two pretty women.

"Actually Rachel drinks tea…" Logan ventured… "Hey wipe that smirk off your face. You're a candidate remember?" Gar slapped the back of Wally's head, and the man shrugged wearing a guilty smile. Garfield chuckled. "Donna's a real character. She's got a huge heart and a great sense of humor, and then there's Rachel. She's pretty quiet, nobody knows much about her besides the fact that she's a damn good paramedic, and she's been here for years—probably longer than all of us, except Dick, of course. He's chief's adopted son."

Suddenly the alarm went off, and in came the usual announcement "Vehicle accident, Columbus drive ridge, ambulance 61, truck 81, squad 3…"

The voice rattled off as men were already running to their trucks. "Time to see you in action!" Said gar,

"Let's go, let's go!" Garth was banging the side of the truck for them to hurry up. Everyone piled in and they were off. Again, sirens blared. As they drove, voce noticed the general lax attitude of his men, and then there was Wally. His eyes shoulders tense, and brow furrowed. Vic finally spoke.

"West, shadow Garth. Walk with a purpose but don't run. Take it all in, know the details of the situation_ before_ you act." He said. He turned back once again. "Oh, and West…" Wally nodded eagerly. Vic just raised an eyebrow. "Don't be a crow." Wally furrowed his brow in confusion, but before he could ask what that meant, the truck had arrived.

(***)

Garfield headed over to one of the cars. There was a woman in the driver's seat. He tried to open the door, but it was jammed.

"Kori, get the saw!" Herald's voice came from the background.

"Ma'am can you hear me?" Garfield asked through the open window. She looked distraught.

"My daughter, she's in the back, is she alright?" The woman whimpered. Gar heard a small girl crying in the back

"I see her, she's okay" He said calmly and turned around to look at Herald "Get the jaws." He commanded. Rachel and Donna had arrived on scene and were heading over to him.

"This is Chief Wayne, I'm going to need two more ambulances." Came the deep rumbling of the chief's voice as he watched his men.

"Mother, daughter trapped… both responsive." Logan briefed the two paramedics. Rachel nodded, climbing into the back seat, her small frame easily fitting through the open window on the other side. She put a gentle hand on the child,

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

"M-Maddie" She cried. "Okay, you're going to be alright." Donna handed her a neck brace from the window which she put on the mother in the front seat. Kori and Herald came with the jaws and Garfield got in the front seat, ready to unpin the woman's legs.

Over at the other car, Garth took a look inside searching for the driver. The door was open, and he looked over the railing to the bridge.

"Driver was ejected!" He called "he's in the water!"

"We've got one in the river, let's go!" Dick and some of his guys got into their diving gear and headed toward the bridge.

(***)

"Can you tell me where you're hurt Maddie?"

"My chest" She sniffed.

"Donna, look at her jugular." Came Rachel's low voice.

"It's distended." She noted. There was something wrong with the girl's heart. They had already torn off the doors and Donna rushed to get the gurney after the mother was evacuated. Rachel looked up at Garfield. "Do you smell that…?"

Garfield looked at Rachel urgently. "That's gas… GET DOWN" he called, jumping into the back seat as the air above them became incinerated with fire. Rachel's chest heaved with shock and adrenaline as she put her arms protectively over the child. She felt Gar's heavy gear on top of her and the heat of the flames above them. She mumbled soft words of comfort to the child as she heard her mother's desperate scream from outside the car.

Kori and Herald were right behind them with fire extinguishers. Donna turned around from instructing two new paramedics on scene once she had the mother stabilized, and looked at the minivan which was now up in flames.

"My god…" She whispered with wide eyes. Rachel and Gar were in there.

(***)

Wally took another look at the driver's seat and noticed there was a jacket still on the ground. _Wait a minute…_

Wally looked into the crowd, squinting his eyes and he found it. There was a man in the crowd looking uneasy… and jacketless. He had a small cut on his forehead but was otherwise undamaged.

"Driver's over there!" He called, pointing at the man. He went after him, finally tackling him to the ground, followed by Garth and a few police officers who had arrived on scene.

"Cancel the dive, we got the driver" Commanded the chief. Dick and the others looked over to see a man being pushed into the back of a police car, and began to take off their gear.

(***)

The fire in the car had finally been put out and Logan got off of Rachel, helping her and the child out of the car. She was received hurriedly by her worried coworkers, all asking if she was alright. Gar came right after her, receiving pats on the back for his bravery. For a moment, Rachel looked a bit shaken, but she remembered the child, and turned to Donna, ignoring her concerned look. By the time Gar looked for Rachel but her attention was already on Donna and the child.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." She said, putting a stethoscope to Maddie's chest. "Muffled heart sounds… we need to get her to the hospital, now." They got her into the rig and headed for the hospital.

Rachel put an oxygen mask over the girl. "Time," She called

"Less than two minutes!" Donna called, turning a corner. An obnoxious beeping came from the heart monitor…

Rachel took a calming breath "She's bleeding into the bag around her heart, I need to evacuate the blood…"

"Minute and a half!" Donna offered. That was a risky procedure for a paramedic.

"She doesn't have a minute and a half, Donna, she's going to be dead before we get there" Rachel insisted.

"You gotta wait Rachel!" Donna called, her voice tense. She turned her head toward the back

"Pull over the damn rig, now." Rachel called back, her low voice was deadly serious. Donna had rarely heard her in such a state. Maybe it was aftermath from the car fire. Nevertheless, Donna rolled her eyes in frustration and pulled over, her heart racing for the young paramedic and the child behind her. She turned around to watch and the tension in the truck came to a boiling point. Time seemed to stop as Rachel slowly inserted a small needle inside the child's chest. She had that focused look on her face. The one that she always had when she was nervous.

"Come on…" Donna whispered, her blue eyes set on the monitor. It started beeping furiously, Rachel's expression barely changed, but Donna knew her enough to sense the panic.

"I hit the heart." She said quietly, her indigo eyes still trained on the child.

"Back it out," Donna breathed. "Slowly…" The monitor beeped faster "Slowly…"

Rachel watched the monitor, and started to drain the blood. The beeping was faster, and faster… then nothing. The moment of silence seemed to last forever as the two girls stared at the monitor. And then finally there was a beep. Heart rate had become relatively normal. "Pressure's coming up" Said Rachel. "Go." Donna turned around, and started the vehicle, speeding back to the hospital.

(***)

"You hit her heart with a needle?" asked a doctor as they rushed her into the building.

"I evacuated as much blood as I could." Rachel's voice was level as she briefed the doctors.

"Oh, well let's hope you didn't kill her in the process!" he chastised her. Donna just shook her head.

"Don't worry about him" She said "I'm sure you saved that girls life." She put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. Rachel just nodded and got in the passenger seat of the rig as Donna drove them home.

(***)

"Rough case, huh?" Said Dick as Rachel put her things in her locker. She just looked over at him, her expression blank.

"You heard?"

"Don't let them get to you" He said. "Doctors are pricks. You did what you had to do."

"I did," She agreed, closing the locker, "and I could care less what that doctor said... I'm fine."

"Then why does it look like they got to you?" He chuckled. "You can make that 'I don't care' face all you want, Rae, but I know you." She scowled at him, but sighed and sat down.

"I just wish I knew if she was okay." Dick opened his mouth to speak but she interrupted. "Don't give me that look, I know it's a stupid idea. It would just make me feel a lot better if I knew for sure I didn't screw everything up."

"And if she didn't make it because of some other complication?" Dick said. "You'd be beating yourself up for weeks. Just let it go and know you did the best you could." She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't need a lecture—"

"But you do, though" He smiled, and stood up, putting a hand on her shoulder before he left. "See you tomorrow." He said cheerfully, earning one of her famous eye rolls before he headed out the door.

(***)

Wally stepped out of the shower, heading toward his locker.

"Good job today candidate!" came Garth's voice from behind him. "You sure saved my ass with that catch. Dick would have had my head on a platter for days if he dove into that water for nothing" He chuckled. "I'd never hear the end of it!" He said with a small eye roll. Wally turned to face his new friend.

"Thanks man," He said as they walked down the locker room… he suddenly came to a halt as he stared down the aisle at a particularly gorgeous redhead, brushing her hair before packing her things in her locker for the end of shift.

"Damn" He whispered.

"Keep walking Wally West, Kori's taken" He chuckled slapping him on the shoulder.

"The women in this house…" He sighed.

"Trust me you'll get over it once you really get to know them" He joked.

(***)

Rachel and Donna headed out of the station

"I'm coming over tonight" said Donna

"Sure Donna, come right in…" Rachel said sarcastically with a raised eyebrow, somewhat irked that she'd just invited herself over. Not that she should be. Donna usually did that, Rachel was just in a foul mood.

"Oh come on," She rolled her eyes. "After today, a nice bottle of red wine would do us some good."

"Rachel!" Came a familiar voice from behind them. Donna smiled mischievously while Rachel blushed. She'd been avoiding that voice since the minivan went up in flames.

"I'll be in the car" Said Donna.

Rachel turned around to see Gar's smiling face as he jogged up to her.

"Hey" She said.

"Crazy call, huh?" She knew what she had to say. She could still feel his weight on her back and the heat of the flames above them.

"Gar"

"Mhmm?" He smiled cheekily. She couldn't help but to offer him the smallest of smiles back.

"As cheesy as it sounds—and you know I'm not one to get all mushy—"

"Go on…" he put his hands on his hips

"Thanks for saving my life today" She half rolled her eyes, he smile still there. He put his huge arm around her, only to have it immediately brushed off.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" He chuckled. She just shook her head

"Don't push it."

**So that's part 1! Part two will be coming up shortly, I hope you like it so far. Please review because your feedback is what makes me a better writer, therefore my fics will be better, and therefore you will enjoy them more! :D**

**I also have no idea what Garth last name is so in this fic it's Brooks. There's a nice ring to it heh, but same with a couple other characters on the show (aka hot spot, red star, etc) so I'll give them names. (I'll specify who I'm talking about) if anyone knows what they're real names are feel free to let me know!**


	2. Candidates Beating Hearts (Part 2)

**(A/N)Thanks for all the comments guys! I did get one request to involve Kori a little more, and that was my bad for the first chapter. I had to edit a lot of stuff out and I noticed just after I posted it that Kori was really barely in it, so don't worry, I'm way ahead of y'all! I added a nice little RobxStar scene in there introducing the start of their story line (which I had planned but that didn't make it into the first chapter heh) She'll get a really interesting dynamic as she's the only female firefighter in the house. I'm trying to ease her into her friendship with Raven because that's about to be a really important part of the story. Raven's going to need Star a lot after this Chapter, so enjoy! **

**Also as a small disclaimer, I won't have her speaking in her usual confused broken English drawl. I just want to make her sound more like a strong intelligent woman. But I will throw in some poorly spoken idioms, and her English won't be perfect, it just wont be as bad as it was on the show hehe. **

Candidates, Beating Hearts and Lost Friends (Part 2)

Dick Grayson opened the door to his dark home. It was late, but he wasn't all that tired. Last shift had been eventful, but not too hard all the same. The usual calls—fires, car accidents… thankfully no deaths. He could say with confidence that today was a pretty good day—for him at least. Wally West had performed well. He pictured him on squad briefly and thought he'd make a good firefighter one day, if he wasn't one already. Something about him was promising. Then there was Garfield. The kid was an outright goofball, but he'd also make a great candidate for squad one day what with his quick thinking and reflexes. He remembered the way he threw himself on top of Rachel and that child to protect them from the minivan fire. A risky move, but rewarding nonetheless. Gar had a huge heart, but he remembered it could lead to stupid decisions which could get him killed. He grabbed a cold slice of pizza from the fridge before responding to a prompt knock on the door.

He opened it to see Kori's soft smile. Her green eyes squinting cheerfully as she held up a bag of takeout from his favorite restaurant. She eyed the pizza and raised her eyebrow.

"Cold pizza again?" She shook her head. He just grinned and shrugged his shoulders with a small chuckle. "What could you do without me?" She said through a characteristic foreign accent.

"Probably choke on cold pizza" He joked, pecking her on the lips. "Come in"

They sat on his couch in silence, watching the 11:00 news while eating their late night dinner. Kori sensed that Dick had been wanting to talk to her about something, and she knew what it was, but she didn't mind the silence. She'd been avoiding his question for a while—she wasn't really ready to answer it.

"You did well today." He offered. His typical stalling move—the last thing anyone wanted to talk about while they were off shift was… shift. She just gave him a knowing look. Dick hated that look… the slight narrowing of her soft green gaze, the slightly upturned smile, the slight dimple on her cheeks. God, she was so beautiful… he couldn't hold it in anymore. "Kori…" Her smile faded a bit,

"Richard, I do not know if I'm ready to move in." She said softly, running her soft hand down the side of his face, pushing back a lock of thick black hair, her head tilted slightly to the side. He laughed softly

"How do you always know what I'm about to say?"

"How are you still surprised when I do?" She smiled sadly when she noticed his disappointment. "I do _love_ you, Richard. I just need time." He nodded.

"I can be patient" His blue eyes bore into hers. She was so thankful to have him—something just held her back from taking that next step… it was difficult to say, they just had their own baggage, and things would get messy. If they started talking about getting so serious they both had to be ready. Kori knew she wasn't, but Dick was too blinded by love to see his own personal demons that could get in the way. "Will you at least stay the night?" He asked.

"Of course" She said, resting her head on his shoulders.

(***)

It was early in the morning of their next shift, and Kori lay awake in bed thinking about Dick's request the night before. She glanced over at the bed beside her where he had been sleeping an hour or two ago, but he'd woken up since then no doubt to go talk with chief. This was something he always did on mornings of shift, and usually he and Rachel were the only ones up at this hour. Kori was an exception this morning… there was just too much on her mind.

Her mind grew restless until it was impossible to keep laying there. Her sleep had already been spoiled so maybe she'd join Rae for some tea. She had a lot to think about and though Rachel didn't talk much, she was an excellent confidant. Kori wouldn't be surprised if the girl held the secrets of nearly everyone in the station. Even Richard's.

She walked slowly down the dark hall, passing the rest of the sleeping crew and into the kitchen. Rachel In her usual morning routine sat in a chair at the table with a hot cup of tea in her hands, eyes on the window waiting for the sunrise. The sky itself had grown a paler blue as the hours passed. Kori poured herself a mug of tea and walked over to Rae.

"Mind if I sit?" Rachel did not reply, but nodded her head, moving a chair next to her for Kori to sit.

Kori was used to being with Victor Garth Logan and Herald in all their loud disgusting manly glory, and it really was wonderful to experience Rachel's early morning world of peace and serenity. At first the silence was a bit awkward, definitely noticed by the silent girl who had sort of a keen insight to people's emotions.

"Something on your mind?" Came the young paramedic's soft voice as she sipped her tea. Kori looked pensive for a moment, the light from the first few rays of sun hitting her tan skin and setting her long locks on fire. She rested her chin on her hand before finally speaking.

"Dick asked me to move in."

"And what did you say?"

"That I wasn't ready." Rachel looked at Kori for a brief moment

"You two _have _been together for a while" Rachel pointed out. "Are you sure it isn't something else?"

The question caught Kori off guard… She wasn't quite sure she could answer the question. What really was holding her back? She chuckled for a moment, receiving a slightly perplexed glance from Rachel. She quickly looked over and explained with a self-amused smile…

"I think _I _may be the one with commitment issues." Much to her surprise, she had earned a soft chuckle from the reserved Paramedic.

(***)

Later that morning Donna was at the counter while Logan was cooking himself up some breakfast.

"Hey Logan!" Said Donna, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Hey gurl." He joked from behind the counter as he grilled up some of his own breakfast. "You down for a nice helping of tofu eggs?" He winked.

"Not on your life" She chuckled eyeing up his concoction. "I'd sooner eat one of Kori's special cultural meals than _tofu_" She shuddered.

"Nice, Donna." He pretended to look hurt before shoveling a huge helping down his throat with a content sigh. "You're really missing out" he winked before adding "and you know you'd rather eat my cooking than Kori's." Donna just replied with a laugh of agreement.

(***)

It was around 7 at night and Garth sat on the couch next to Donna, after trying to fix the cable. He sighed with exasperation as the picture on the television began to flicker.

"Face it love, we need a new TV" She said mildly as she watched Garfield approach Rachel with a cup of tea, and she accepted it with a soft smile. Garth sighed and stretched his arms out, one behind her. She turned to him with a friendly smile. "Don't you hate watching two people who are so obviously meant to be together, and everybody knows it but them?" Garth just chuckled and shook his head. "Hypothetically" She added.

"Let it go, Don." He said with a smile "your… _hypothetical _friends will realize it eventually."

"Yeah, I think I'll be dead before that happens." She rolled her eyes.

Wally came out of the bathroom with his mop and other various cleaning supplies. He looked at the clock with a smile.

"Look at that" He noted. "Only one hour left of shift and not a single call. Does that happen very often?"

Donna's head whipped in his direction with an incredulous stare as Garth closed his eyes and hung his head heaving an exasperated sigh.

"You did not just say that..." She moaned

"What…?"

The alarm suddenly goes off.

"Ambulance 61, shooting, west mills drive…" It rattled off.

"Ha _HA_!" Cried Garth in triumph, punching the air as Donna scowled at him. Rachel stood up from the far side of the room.

"West…" Said Donna "Pitcher's got a no-hitter going in the eighth inning. Do you go up to him and say '_hey, looks like you've got a no hitter going_'?"

"No but…" he said scratching the back of his head guiltily.

"Don't do it at the damn firehouse either." She said, her voice laced with mild annoyance as she walked away.

"Yeah, I got it." He sighed.

(***)

Donna and Rachel pulled out of the garage.

"Idiot…" Said Donna shaking her head with a slightly amused smile.

"He's just a candidate." Rachel pointed out.

"Yeah, I know." She said, turning a corner. Rachel naturally grabbed the handle on the door to keep from sliding in her seat. Adapting to Donna's crazy driving had become somewhat of an art form, coming second nature to her after years working together. Rachel did have to admit her partner was efficient. "I just hate shootings" She continued. "They're in the worst part of town." Rachel agreed with that one. And it didn't help that this was a night time call and she felt small pang of annoyance toward the young candidate.

They pulled up to an old building, and opened the back of the rig to get their supplies.

"Whadda we got?" Asked Donna as Rachel led them into the house.

"Two shooters, one's dead the other's missing. We cleared the building but this happened less than ten minutes ago. Victim's hit in the gut.

Rachel entered the room followed by Donna as the officer went back downstairs to leave them to their jobs. The victim sat on the couch, hands on his bloody abdomen.

"I shot the motherfucker in the head!" He said. Rachel shook her head,

"I don't think so buddy, shooter's gone."

"No, I swear to god!" His voice shook as his face slowly grew more ashen. There was a sudden noise to the right—like a door was opening. It almost went unnoticed to her until she heard Donna's voice low and steady

"Rachel" She warned. She looked up, staring into the barrel of a small handgun.

(***)

"At least it was just an ambo call" Wally smiled guiltily.

"Yeah, you're lucky candidate." Said Vic, "Well, you still have Donna and Rachel to answer to when they get back" He chuckled.

"Yeah, Donna already gave me an earful" Said Wally.

Garth chuckled. "A well-deserved one at that." He said. "Donna hates shootings, and you just jinxed the shit out of her! It really was priceless."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Wally retorted.

"Let's hope they get back before shift ends, cause they don't want to miss MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" Gar always got too excited for their get-togethers at Molly's.

"Shut up, Gar." Vic drawled light heartedly from the other end of the room.

(***)

"I need you to put that down so I can treat him," Rachel said in a low, steady voice. The shooting victim was breathing heavily in fear, "and I need to take a look at you too."

"Nah fuck that" The shooter's voice trembled. He was also bleeding from the head.

"You both need medical attention, and he's dying" She looked over at the man on the couch. "Do you want to be put away for assault or murder?" She raised her brow "We're not the police, just let us do our job." It took what seemed like forever, and Rachel wondered mildly if the pounding in her heart was heard by anyone else in the room, because it was deafening in her own ears. The man finally started to lower his gun. Rachel had it in her hand when there was the sudden sound of heavy footsteps up the stairs. Donna's head snapped in that direction from where she was kneeling to treat the man on the couch. The shooter panicked, grabbing Rachel's small wrist with violent force and slamming her roughly to the floor.

"Rachel!" Donna yelled. Rachel was temporarily winded as they struggled for a moment until he finally punched her in the gut, forcing her to release the weapon. Donna yelled something… 'wait' or 'stop' Rachel couldn't tell, in the aftermath it wouldn't matter anyway. There was gunfire, and Rachel heard a soft thump behind her. The man suddenly became dizzy after his exertion, and his head wound began to affect him. She kneed him in the groin, and he dropped the gun, groaning in pain. Everything seemed to happen so fast—before she could really process it. She grabbed the gun, but he landed roughly on her, his hands around her throat. They struggled again, and the gun went off one last time.

(***)

"Who wants to stay back and wait for the girls?" Vic said, grabbing his keys.

"You're my ride so I can't" Gar made the excuse with a shrug. It was eight and their shift was over.

"I got it, I got it." Said Dick. Kori gave him a kiss on the cheek as she turned to leave.

"See you there" She said with a smile, before heading out with the rest of the crew. It was a perfect Monday. Only one call and it wasn't even for the trucks so there was more than one reason to celebrate than Gar's over enthusiastic 'Monday night football'.

Gar was in the passenger seat of Vic's car as they headed over to the bar down the street. He looked a bit disappointed.

"Donna and Rae would get a call right before shift ends"

"You're not usually this disappointed when they don't come to your beloved game nights." Gar shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't know dude, I feel kind of weird about this call." Vic looked over at his friend.

"Yeah, I feel you."

(***)

Donna felt like she'd been hit by a truck. Through the immense pain in her abdomen she could just barely make sense of what had just happened—and the look on Rachel's face when she broke free from under that lifeless body… Donna had seen so much fear in the young paramedic's eyes. She'd never looked so distraught in her life, even if it was just for a mere second. The gun fell from her bloody and trembling hand, and she seemed to suddenly snap out of it. Police burst into the room as Rachel moved toward Donna, applying pressure to her bleeding wound.

"You said the building was cleared!" She yelled at the stunned officers, still catching her breath from the struggle. Their former patient had since died from his wounds. "Bring me that bag" She commanded. The officers did as they were told and a backup ambo was already on the way. Rachel worked to stabilize Donna who tried to hide her panic as her breath hitched from the pain.

"You're going to be fine." Rachel tried to smile earnestly as she and an officer laid her on a gurney. She followed the other paramedics to the ambulance and into the back of the rig, shaking them off as they tried to look at her. She sat next to her best friend as the vehicle sped off to the hospital.

Rachel's squeezed Donna's hand as her own trembled violently from shock.

"Rachel" She breathed, her eyes fluttering.

"Stay with me, Donna come on." Rachel wasn't much of a talker but there had to be some way to keep her dying friend awake.

"I hate shootings" Donna breathed, reiterating her apprehension from before. Rachel let out a quiet but desperate almost hysterical laugh, and then sniffed, trying to blink away the moisture that started to enter her eyes.

"Too bad, its part of the job" She said "and you're gonna have to deal with a couple more before you're done, okay?" Rachel could barely get her words out. Donna shook her head.

"I think that was my last one" She wore a sad smile as a few tears ran down the side of her face. Rachel was starting to fall apart. She was grabbing desperately at straws trying to make sense of it all. She just shook her head.

"I'm so sorry." Rachel's voice trembled…

"We agreed long ago that we'd never be sorry on the job." Donna smiled weakly. Rachel's head hung. She didn't want to talk about it, but Donna was insistent.

"This is different…" She choked, sniffing again, this time looking straight into Donna's fierce blue gaze. Rachel wasn't one to beg, but Donna also wasn't one to give up, so she figured she could break her façade for a friend, just this once. "Don't die on me Donna. Please."

(***)

Everyone sat at the bar on their first Round of beer. Vic greeted his beautiful Sarah who worked behind the bar with a kiss to the cheek as Garth turned on the TV.

Garfield was busy chatting it up with one of the bartenders when he heard Garth speak next to him

"Shit…" was all he said, before Gar turned to see what he was looking at. The TV had already been set on the news station, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor as the entire bar turned to watch the breaking news.

"Two paramedics injured, one in critical condition are being rushed to the hospital… all from a shooting downtown that escalated into a tragic and violent situation…" droned the news reporter's voice as Victor picked up an incoming call from Dick. After a moment of listening, Victor finally spoke.

"We're on our way."

(***)

Rachel watched helplessly as her friend was rolled away, and she was left to stand alone in the dimmed hallway. _Don't die on me,_ she thought. The words repeated in her head like a broken record, going and going and going… A drop of moisture made its way down her face. Was she crying? She moved to wipe it away with the back of her hand, but as she examined it, she found that it was no tear. Fresh dark red blood contaminated the back of her already bloodied hand. Fatigue swept through her like a mist as the adrenaline wore off, and she began to notice the effects of the struggle. She lifted her hand again to source of the bleed. _Found it._ She winced in pain as he fingers contacted the stinging cut on her forehead. She was too dazed to notice the nurses whisk her away to be treated.

(***)

The hospital waiting room was packed with the off-shift firefighters, including chief. It seemed like they'd been waiting for hours. Tension ran high between everyone in the room, and for once everyone was silent. Heads were bowed, elbows on knees, hands folded, white knuckles. Sarah tried to call Vic a hundred times for updates, but there were none. It had to be somewhere around three or four in the morning, before a figure emerged from the hall.

There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief as they all recognized Rachel's small frame, but it was soon replaced by horror upon seeing her bruised face and bloodstained hands and shirt. Gar stood up and hurried over to her as she noticed the looks upon their faces. She finally took the time to examine her hands. There was so much blood—all the way up her forearms, drying and staining her skin and her shirt—her face even. She suddenly felt sick. She swayed a bit as he eyes went out of focus, and Gar put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She knew it was a subtle way of steadying her so no one else would notice her brief panic attack. She also knew he was waiting for an answer. They all were, and she finally said aloud the word she'd been repeating for hours in her mind.

"Gone." She whispered, staring at her feet "She's gone." She turned around leaving him in shock as she mumbled something about getting leaned up. He turned around, unable to speak, and just shook his head.

Kori's hands immediately shot up to her mouth as Dick put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Victor said nothing, but his face hardened, and Wally bore a look of terrible remorse.

Garth nearly put a hole in the wall.

Donna… Lovely, energetic, funny, beautiful Donna, was gone forever. Just like that.

**Gotta open with a bang, right? Third part coming up soon! Please read and review, I'd love some constructive criticism! Part three of the first 'episode' coming up tomorrow hopefully. I want to get all the chapters out for each 'episode' out consecutively. Remember how I said Rae's gonna need Star? I made the first two chapters as Donna/Rae centric as possible so her death would have more of an impact. Did it work? Keep reviewing and motivate me to post another chapter! Hahah, I love y'alls feedback, it really helps! Over and out doods.**


	3. Candidates Beating Hearts (Part 3)

Candidates, Beating Hearts and Lost Friends (part 3)

"I think they're clean…"

Rachel almost jumped upon hearing Logan's voice, but she did not look up from her hands which she continued to wash under the bathroom sink. They were now pink and raw from her vicious and almost panicked scrubbing. She finally stopped and turned off the faucet, but just stood there unmoving.

"They don't feel that way." Her voice was quiet. She looked like she was pondering something for a moment, then she just looked at him, indigo eyes level and stoic as ever. "What are you doing in here Garfield" Garfield. She never called him that. Most of the time it was 'Logan' and sometimes affectionately 'Gar' but never Garfield. He knew she was trying to shut him out.

"Rae, you know that I know you better than to ask you if you're okay but when it comes to talking about your feelings you're a poor liar at best. I'm not expecting you to talk about them if you don't want to, 'cause I know you'll open up to whoever once you're ready. I just want you to know that when you are I'll be there, okay?" His brow was knit tight. Even he couldn't find a way to make light of the situation, and his own emotions were taxing. He almost wanted her to melt down so he could do it with her, but he kept from losing it. Something in her stoic gaze changed—softened a bit, though she still kept up the stone cold façade. "And in case that didn't answer your question… to put it briefly, I'm here to make sure you don't scrub your arms off." He added as a soft tease. There was a shadow of a smile on her face despite the situation. She still didn't say a word but nodded to him, finally walking out leaving him alone in the women's restroom.

(***)

Garth took a walk. The sun was nearly rising over the hills and next shift was only a few hours away. The crowd had long dispersed from the hospital and he'd offered to take Rachel home. He figured it'd be best considering they both wanted to talk to no one. She seemed to agree with the fact, almost rushing out the door before anyone else could ask. He'd dropped her off a while ago and dropped his own car off at his house. He wondered mildly what next shift would hold. Surely chief would make some sort of speech… announce when the funeral was. He paused a moment, standing still as the sky turned lighter. He turned and sat on the curb watching as few cars passed by every few minutes and he buried his face in his hands. He spent the rest of his morning trying to convince himself that tonight wasn't just a terrible dream—that what had happened was actually real, and that he'd never had the chance to say all the things he wanted to say to her. Things he never even realized he wanted to say.

(***)

It was the first shift without Donna. The firehouse was oddly silent, and what freaked Kori out the most was Garfield's silence. She had asked him if he'd talked to Rachel and just gave her a dismissive nod with a furrowing of his brow and then nothing else. And Dick was being too… nice. Not that he wasn't nice to her, he just never paid this much attention to her on shift. He was usually off in his own little world but last few hours he was attached to Kori at the hip as though at any moment she would somehow spontaneously combust. At one point she had to tell him to go speak with chief about funeral arrangements, or train the candidate, or fill out his damn paperwork. Anything but this strange unusual hovering. It was starting to suffocate her.

The door to the kitchen opened and in walked Rachel. She seemed to be avoiding all contact with the human species—more so than usual. Her head was down, avoiding her usual spot at the counter like the plague. Kori figured it was because that was Donna's spot too. Kori wondered how long this mood would last.

Wally was sweeping up the kitchen, and Kori thought she saw the slightest flicker of guilt on his face. What could he possibly feel guilty about? He hadn't shot… She let out a sigh. She couldn't even think about it. It seemed the recovery processes would be painfully slow for everyone. And then there was Garth. It was pretty clear that he hadn't changed since last shift, and looking at the circles under his eyes she'd bet on the fact that he hadn't slept either. He and Donna had been very close. They were only friends of course, but she saw the way they looked at each other. Kori's elbow was propped on the table, her chin propped delicately on her knuckles, her long fingers curling delicately into a soft fist. As her thoughts wandered, she noticed Vic take a seat next to her. As he opened his mouth to speak she interrupted him, her voice uncharacteristically sullen.

"May we please talk about something else?" Upon hearing this he let out a small sigh and offered a sad smile.

"I wish I could. It's just that I can' think of anything else…"

"That much is apparent" She sighed, green eyes scanning the activity around the room. "You could cut a sword through the air in this room." Vic let out a soft chuckle.

"I believe you mean 'with a butter knife'" Kori smiled ever so slightly.

"But it is the same thing, is it not?"

"I guess you could say that." They were interrupted suddenly as Chief Wayne entered the room, his face stoic. The attention seemed to gravitate toward him as he loudly cleared his throat.

"We lost an important person yesterday." He started. Kori glanced over at Rachel who seemed to find the ground quite interesting at the current moment. "I hope we can all get through this _together_" He stressed through his deep gravelly monotone. "I have made funeral arrangements for this Thursday, I expect you all to be there dressed in your formals at least a half hour early." He was met with a chorus of 'yes chief's and 'of course chief's. He nodded briefly. "One last point" He started, "A new paramedic has been assigned to this house—" The air suddenly shifted with discomfort and curious murmurs. "And I expect you to give her a _warm_ welcome. This house is a busy one, so an immediate replacement was necessary." He said. "That is all." The room was silent as he turned to leave. Wayne turned around briefly and gestured with his hand.

"Rachel, come with me please." Her head shot up, a look of reluctance on her face but she complied, disappearing into the hallway behind the Chief.

(***)

"Rachel, you were a witness to Donna's death and on call during the incident. It is also my understanding that you shot the attacker in self-defense." Rachel's face remained unchanging though there was just the slightest flicker of pent up distress in those endless Indigo eyes.

"Chief, I already filled out an incident report, it's on your desk." She kept her voice level.

"This isn't about that" He continued. "I can't force you into anything, but your insurance covers councilors for grief and even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and I highly suggest you look into one of the two."

"All due respect Chief, I see people die all the time. I can handle—"

"Not to be harsh, but losing someone who worked under you… that is entirely different. Not to mention the fact that you had to kill another human being… even if it was in self defense." His voice was held the most unusual undertones of sympathy. It made Rachel uncomfortable.

"If not for you then do it for the house." He said "We can't afford to lose our best paramedic just because she can't recognize when she needs help." All traces of sympathy gone. Her gaze hardened

"I'll look into it." She barely got the words out before heading out the door.

(***)

Rachel stood at her locker, her hand running over the peeling edges of the tape that read her name, then she moved her pale fingers to Donna's name. They lingered for a moment before finally yanking the label off and crumbling it in her hands. She sat on the bench behind her and put her head in her hands. She suddenly heard the slow soft clicking of boots on the floor. They sounded hesitant, but they grew closer. Stealing a glance to her side, she rubbed her temples before removing her hands from her face, leaning forward, her forearms on her knees staring at the crumpled piece of tape in her hands.

"Come to explain your sudden and irrational feelings of guilt over last night?" She was met with silence as Wally West stopped walking. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him shove his hands into his pockets.

"Unless you actually believe in magic you should know that _jinxing_ the shift didn't actually kill…" She trailed off. He seemed to shrink back at her words. "You didn't actually _kill_ anyone." She muttered bitterly. "So just get that stupid thought out of your head right now before you let it destroy you." There was a long silence before she felt his presence next to her. He sat down for a moment and assumed the same position as she.

"Same could be said for you." He said softly, pushing his hand through his auburn hair. "I just thought you should know that." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and her gaze softened only somewhat. They were both silent for a moment, and when Rachel blinked a lone tear made its way down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away and sniffed.

"I'd really just like to be alone right now, okay?" Her voice was not much more than a whisper. Wally was a bit taken aback at the short flicker of emotion, but finally complied. He took his hand off her shoulder and stood up.

"See ya around Rachel." He said quietly before getting up to leave. And then Rachel was left alone in the locker room to curl up into herself and put her head in her hands, the ripped up piece of tape still crumpled in her tight fist. When she was sure he was gone, she let out a few more tears, her shoulders shuddering ever so slightly as she tried to keep her suppressed sobs as silent as possible, and still holding back most of her sorrow.

(***)

Chief walked into the kitchen for the second time that day. 10 hours into shift and only one call. Fourteen more to go and it was already starting to get dark. A skinny young wide eyed blonde followed the burly battalion chief as he cleared his throat once again to gain the attention of the people in the room. "Everyone meet the newest member of firehouse 51. This is Tara Markov, she is our new paramedic. Logan, why don't you introduce her to the crew" He walked back to his office leaving her to smile a bit awkwardly and wave. Logan stood up and approached the excited young paramedic in the back of his mind knowing that Wayne chose him because there was no way anyone else would be remotely welcoming to Donna's replacement. Especially the day after she… passed.

"Hey I'm Logan…uh Garfield, but Logan's fine… or Gar." He rambled, offering her a hand "Welcome to the firehouse" he said breathlessly. She was shockingly beautiful now that he'd noticed. She took it with a smile.

"Jeez, who died?" She tried to joke, noticing how quiet it was. Logan's smile suddenly vanished and he visibly flinched while Garth fumbled with a glass he was pulling out of the cabinet and watched it shatter on the floor. The tension became suffocating in the room as Wally walked to the broom closet mumbling about cleaning it up.

"The person you're replacing." Said a cold gravelly voice from behind her. Rachel had walked in, her voice hard as stone as she passed Tara with a steaming mug of tea in her hand. Tara's face immediately dropped and flushed a deep red.

"I'm… _so_ sorry" She breathed, and Logan just offered a smile which looked more like a grimace.

"You didn't know… but for the future, you probably shouldn't make a joke like that in a firehouse." He said drily "And that was your PIC by the way." He jerked a thumb over to Rachel who was sitting down at the table, cracking open one of her old tattered books. Tara facepalmed.

"My PIC already hates me…"

"Nah, she just needs to warm up to you." Logan said with a small smile. "She's pretty reserved so she may seem mean at times, but you'll learn a hell of a lot under her. You should probably talk to her though… you know, apologize for that little mishap. It's not your fault really. You're new so…"

"Yeah… cool… okay" She said, wearing a slightly nervous look as she glanced over at the raven haired paramedic.

She headed over to the table and sat next to her. She knew it probably wasn't a good idea to bother the girl when she was reading… she looked pretty focused…

"Can I help you?" asked Rachel, not looking up from her book. Tara jumped slightly.

"I am so sorry about that back there… I'm new, and I was just really nervous and—"

"Already forgotten." She said mildly.

"Start over?" Asked Tara hopefully. Rachel put down her book and dark indigo eyes seemed to penetrate into Tara's soul.

"Sure."

Tara smiled, releasing a nervous breath. "Hey, I'm Tara. I just came up here from Cali—raised in the OC" She said proudly holding her hand out to shake it. Rachel took it politely.

"You should know it's a lot different around here. Calls can be intense and I need to know that you can handle it."

"Sure thing! I've seen some pretty crazy stuff so I think I can keep up." This girl's cheery attitude seemed too foreign in the firehouse. Rae thought she'd get along well with Logan or Garth had the circumstances been different. Maybe with time. She merely responded with a nod and looked back at her book, but the alarm suddenly sounded… it was an ambo call, and the two girls stood up

"Let's see what you've got." She said as they headed to the rig. Rachel got in the passenger seat and Tara behind the wheel.

They arrived at a small suburban home after a few minutes and they grabbed their gear. Tara followed Rachel into the house as a heavy middle aged woman came to the door.

"Oh, thank god you're here!" She said, looking quite distressed. "I thought someone was breakin' in, so I went at him, but it was just my neighbor Louis!"

"You went at him?" Rachel echoed as they walked back into the kitchen.

"holy…" Tara looked wide eyed at a man lying on the floor, a carving fork plunged into his chest. A small stream of blood already poured out of his mouth. Rachel moved forward, kneeling down next to the man to examine the damage.

"Whoa…" Rachel was even intrigued by what she saw. The fork was… pulsing. "It's in the—"

"The heart?" Tara said, bemused.

"Oh, Lord!" Said the woman "I didn't mean to!"

"We need to stabilize it somehow." Rachel said, almost to herself. She turned back to the woman.

"Ma'am, do you bake?"

"Huh?!" She said incredulously.

"I need one of those bunt cake pans… with the hole in the middle." Rachel elaborated.

"Oh, yes! I have one of those!" She brought it to Rachel who turned her attention to Tara, still standing there in shock.

"Hey, stay with me Tara, I need you with me on this." Rachel said, beckoning for her to come over. "I need you to get out the medical tape." Tara did as she was told, watching in awe as Rachel slowly lowered the pan onto the man's chest, the end of the fork protruding out from the hole in the middle.

"Okay, hold this firmly." She said. Tara quickly grabbed the pan. "Careful" Said Rachel softly. Tara did as she was told as Rachel used the tape to secure it on his chest. "This should keep anything from moving the fork or pushing it in further."

"Amazing" Said Tara as they lifted the man onto a gurney and transported him to the ambo.

(***)

Rachel tried to tune out the sound of Tara's gushing as they left the hospital. "Did you see the look on those doctors' faces when they saw the way you set that guy up?!" She sighed "Priceless." They got into the rig.

"Uh, thanks." Rachel said, staring out ahead of her.

"Gar did say I'd learn a lot from you… damn!" Rachel rubbed her temples, trying to fight off an oncoming headache, a mild thought in the back of her mind wondered what exactly Logan had said.

"By the way sorry I got kinda freaked out back there… You were right, that call was pretty wild, I've never seen anything like it!"

"I wouldn't call it wild." Rachel countered bluntly. "Interesting, but you'll see much worse. You'll get used to it, but you need to stay focused. I won't always be able to make sure you're doing what you're supposed to be doing."

"Right." She said, pulling into the fire station. As she parked, Rachel left the rig without a word, leaving Tara a bit disheartened as she took the key out of the ignition.

(***)

Friday had come swiftly and the entire battalion of firehouse 51 stood in the street outside the house in the snow. It was quite a beautiful scene in fact. The funeral procession had proceeded through, white flakes dotting the gray sky, landing on each person's navy uniform, blending in with white gloves. Each face as straight and stoic as the next, forming ranks in tribute to their fallen comrade. As the procession passed, they saluted the hearse with straight precision. What was going through their minds though… that was a hundred other stories, each one specific to each uniformed comrade. Logan stole a sideways glance at the woman who stood next to him. Her jaw was fixed as those violet eyes focused intently on the procession in front of them, her pale skin almost white against the dark uniform. The procession passed, and the hands of each person went rigidly to their sides. Dick was on his other side—his face more impossible to read than Rachel's if it was possible.

The service had ended and Logan made his way over to Garth who stared at him with a furrowed brow and an intensely pained expression on his face, tear marks streaked his face as he stood in front of his friend. After a moment of tense fixed silence Garth just broke, and the moment struck Garfield hard. He did not waste a moment to throw his arms tightly around his friend in a moment of pure loss and grief. Garth choked out quiet but terribly pained sobs as Logan just held him tighter, unable to speak.

"I think I loved her." Garth choked. "I loved her, Logan…"

Rachel watched the exchange from a distance, ignoring the itching temptation to wallow in her own self-pity right then and there. Her thoughts were interrupted as Vic stood next to her.

"I don't know if it's even possible…" He said with a soft smile, "But you look even more serious than usual." She felt his warm gaze settling down on her. She turned away from Logan and Garth, looking up at her friend.

"Must be the hat." She said drily.

"Or the bun" He smirked. She subconsciously lifted her hand to her pinned back hair. She decided to take it out, the pulling of her hair giving her a migraine. She took off her hat as well. "Looks more like the Rachel I know." She threw him a mild scowl.

"If you think I'm about to get all sentimental…"

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said. "How about I take you home. Meet me at my car later?" her look turned somewhat grateful.

"Thank you." She muttered.

Kori stood with Tara in the parking lot as the crowd started to leave.

"I'm really sorry about what happened." Tara offered "I didn't know Donna, but she seemed like an amazing person…"

"She truly was" Kori wore a sentimental smile through moist eyes. "If I am to be honest with you, you have quite large gloves to fit in" Tara looked a bit confused.

"Shoes to fill?"

"Yes, that's it." Kori chuckled lightly. "But I am sure you will do fine. You have much spirit in you, and Rachel does not seem to hate you which is always good!" Tara chuckled a bit

"Coulda fooled me" It was that moment that Dick had approached them.

"You guys need a ride home?" Kori nodded slowly.

"Yes, that would be nice."

It had been a slow service, but once it was over Wally walked over to Rachel. Even though he hadn't known her for too long, he felt he had to follow up that intense conversation from earlier in the week. She sat on a bench at the edge of the parking lot, the pure white snowflakes dotting her healthy black locks which fell a little ways past her shoulders.

"Hey"

"Wally West" She greeted, looking stoic as ever as she laced up her boots "What can I do for you?"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about—"

"I know. Everyone is." She said mildly. She was a tough one wasn't she.

"I just wanted you to know that even though I don't really know you all that well yet, I know how you feel" He stated. She glanced at him briefly.

"Do you?" Her voice was bored, almost skeptical. Many people—people who didn't know how to use their god damned mouths used that phrase way too carelessly. 'I know how you feel…' what does that even mean anymore?

"My brother was a firefighter—on squad actually—I woke up one morning to find out he ran into a burning apartment… never made it out." He said softly, hands in his pockets.

"You didn't have to tell me that." She said staring at her boot.

"Would you have believed me if I didn't?" He asked. "Look, I know I'm just a candidate and everything but I'm here if you ever want to talk." She silently cursed herself for letting him see her so vulnerable a few days ago. She decided to refrain from telling him she'd gotten that offer from just about every other person in the damn house, but she offered him a sad smile instead. "Thank you, Wally."

"Sure thing" he nodded, turning to walk toward his car. He thought for a moment and turned back.

"Rachel?" She didn't look up, just continued lacing the other boot.

"hmm?"

"You're good friends with Vic, right?"

"Sure."

"A few days ago he said something to me, when I was talking about the rescue squad… don't be a crow?" He sighed "Do you know what that means?" She finished lacing and pulled the strings tight, finally looking up at him. She had the smallest of grins on her face, as though reminiscent. Rested her chin on her knuckles, a pensive look on her features.

"Did he?" She asked. She looked at him, and after a moment she began to tell a story. "A crow wanted to be a peacock…" She started, looking past him through the snow as though this meant much more to the house than just a part of witty banter. "…So he put on colored feathers and went over to the peacock yard. But the peacocks… they plucked them all away. So the crow, well, he tried to get back with the crows…" She lifted up her jacket and threw it over her shoulders. "But they wanted nothing to do with him." She said, as she started to leave. Wally said one more thing, causing her to turn slightly.

"My mom used to tell me to keep my mouth shut… and just watch" He said thoughtfully. She waited for him to continue. "I'm glad I have you here to watch, doc." He smiled. She looked pensive for a moment, and before she turned to leave, he thought he saw a shadow of a smile on her face.

**(A/N) Okay sorry again for the delay! Finals week and all that, you know? Anyways, I'm really excited to get this going, and I hope you all like it too! I'm going to try and get Vic and Kori more involved. It's always a bit harder for me to get them in there as I am sort of reconstructing Kori's character anyways. I'm sorry if she seems very OOC, I just am not a fan of the way she was portrayed in the cartoon. I loved her happy and light hearted spirit and I will definitely try to capture that, but she just seemed so ditzy at times and I just want to make her more strong and independent. I'll have some cool stuff with her and Dick though later so wait and see **

**Short info thing: PIC stands for Person in Charge. So Vic is the PIC of truck, Dick is the PIC of squad, Rachel is the PIC paramedic etc. **

**As for relationships… you may have noticed some hinted romance between two characters let me assure you that BBxRae is the endgame, and there will definitely be some great BBxRae moments even though they won't be dating quite yet. I'll keep the tension there ;). **


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